LAHORE (March 12, 2010): The Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) has strongly opposed increase in electricity tariff for agriculture tubewells and described it as an anti farmers and agriculture sector step of the government. Reacting to fresh increase in electricity charges KBP President Sardar Zafar Hussein Khan said the government is adding to the miseries of the common man and the farmers by constantly increasing electricity tariff.

ISLAMABAD (March 12, 2010): Federal government and affectees of Diamer Bhasha dam have reached an 'out of court' settlement as government will provide Rs 40 billion compensation to displaced people of 31 villages for kicking off the project. The government will build nine model villages for the affectees near the dam.

ISLAMABAD (March 12, 2010): Federal Mini-ster for Industries and Production Mir Hazar Khan Bajrani, citing a recent study conducted in the field of fertilisers' production in Pakistan, has feared that there will much likely commence the acute impasse of urea and DAP fertilisers in Pakistan with the advent of 2016.

ISLAMABAD (March 12, 2010): Senate standing committee on commerce Thursday asked the trade managers to prepare afresh sugar policy aimed at saving foreign exchange through less imports, making sure purchase of the commodity from the local industry to benefit consumers. In case the government fails to rescue the local industry, it would be difficult for the industry to pay Rs 35 billion to cane growers besides servicing bank loans.

PESHAWAR (March 12, 2010): Gems & Gemological Institute of Pakistan (GGIP) and Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WCCI) will organise a six-month training course for cutting precious stones to 30 destitute women. The training course will start from third week of the current month. The Department of Zakat and Usher has allocated around Rs 3, 60,000 for this purpose.

FAISALABAD (March 12, 2010): A special task force has been constituted to ensure supply of hygienic, unadulterated and quality meat to people of Faisalabad. It is comprised of veterinary officers and doctors and has been tasked to control the sale of water adulterated, unhygienic and low quality meat.

LAHORE (March 12, 2010): The poultry industry is at the recovery stage and after two months, prices of chicken will start to come down. Adil K. Sattar, Executive Director of K&N's, expressed these views while talking to members of Lahore Economic Journalists Association (LEJA) at K&N's poultry processing plant near Lahore, on Thursday.

LAHORE (March 11, 2010): Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has directed concerned officials to evolve a roadmap to achieve investment of US $1 billion in Greenfield project. He was presiding over a meeting of Board of Directors of Punjab Board of Investment and Trade here on Wednesday, an official disclosed.

ISLAMABAD (March 11, 2010): The government is considering to abolish cross subsidy on supply of feed gas to fertilizer manufacturers and to devise a mechanism of direct subsidy on urea to the farmers, Business Recorder has learnt. The Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday approved the recommendations of the ECC subcommittee to review the cross subsidy on feed gas for fertilizer plants under Fertilizer Policy 2001.

KARACHI (March 11, 2010): President and CEO Engro Corporation Limited, Asad Umar, has received the prestigious Marketing Association of Pakistan (MAP) 'Award of Excellence for 2009'. The award is in recognition of Umar's contributions to the field of Marketing and Management, and for his role in Pakistan's economy as one of the country's foremost corporate leaders.